Signaling system.



' Q UNITED. STATES PATENT" OFFICE;

JACOB B. STRUBLE, or WILKINsBUR G, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR To THE UNION SWITOHAND SIGNAL ooMrANY; or "SWISSV-ALE, PENN+ I naeaaeeel To aZl'whbm it may concern.-

' sYLvANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA. I V sieNALme SYSTEM.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .runeia eoe.

'- I Application filed February 12,1903, Benewedhpril 11,1905. seritirazaaqoag 1 Be it known that I, JACOB B. SrRUBLn, a

. citizen of the United States,- residing at Wilkinsburg, in. the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Systems of which the following is a specification;.-.-" My invention relates to'a signaling system for railways employing an alternating currentas a motive power and a rail of the trackas a return for the alternating current in which a closed track-circuit is emplo ed,-the usual current-in which ,afiects 'a'sulta le form of translating device, which device responds to the usual current in the track-circuit inits normal operation. I The translating device in turn may control. a circuit including an operating' nechanlsm fora signal device comrised in a railwa si al or the translatm" ,5

I device may directly operate the signal.

' mechanism. or

I will describea signaling system embodying my invention and thenpoint out the novel features thereof in claims.

' In the-accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic vlew of ay'siignaling system embodying my invention.

similar to Fig. but-showing the condition of the circuits when a air efwheels of a train is on the rails of t e tracksection or block. I Similar letters of referencedesignate correspondin parts in both of the figu es. j

. In 'or er that my invention maybe fully comprehended, I will premisethe following:

Wherever I herein use the term railway-signal, I mean to'include a visual signal device which by its position relatively colts-support by color or by other means of dis laying mformationgives indications of 't e service conditions of the railway or section of railway which it is intended to govern and a a aratus'for operating the signal device. I illierever Iherein use the term translating device, I mean any device or apparatus by which electrical current is translated or transformed into some other form of energy, preferably mechan cal motion.

Wherever 1 herein use the term .=system,

.signal system,. or signalingsystem, I

-. mean such a combinationor" arrangement of nections, which parts and circuits, togethenwith their conenables a railway-signal to by my -or section.

ig. 2 1s a view-- through the rails.

. sh ape'. .The windin nected to, the rails t able between the pole-pieces.

be 0 er ate'd either automatically or manually. Int e present invention the railway-signal-is intend ed to be operated automatically and by the passa eof atrain over therailway or section ofrai way whichit' governs.

'Refer'rin now to th drawings, desig 1 na t'es a rai way which, as usual,-consists of two parallel lines of rails secured 1n position on "a suitable road-bed; It is contemplated invention that the 'railway be divided into blocks or sections, I railway-signal at the of each block I The division of the railway. into blocks or seotionsmay be accomplished by an d I locate a I providin insulation 0. at suitable ointsin the para lellinesof rails.- I suflicient to divide but one line of rails into insulated blocks or sections; but in some cases,, es .ecially in steam-roads, tbothirails Genera 1y, it is tion the; distance betweentwo 'sign'als- Fig. 1 one of the lines taining insulations.

trically connect t e p0 theparallel lines of rails in the block. At-

of rails is shown'as Cbll". I Atonecnd of the 'blocki or section I provide a source of'c 'iri 'eri t supply'as,for exam le, abattery TB--and elec h ice: of the battery to thenther end-of'the block and'similarly'connected to the rails I locate a translating d} vice C,'he re shown as being in theformof a: relay. gized by current passing fromthe battery TB -pr fem 'I fa the core of the magnet that both poles may be employed, and this ma be aceoinph'sh'ed by forming itinto a s' 'stantially horseshoe of the magnet is so conat the direction of cu r' the electromagnet of which; ener-J.

rent from the battery TB willalways cause magnet when energized to be I The armature O is aperma It is pivoted at one end and the poles of the of given signs. nent magnet.

in' sucha position asto have itsffree end mov- I I In this cone struction and adjustment of the armature it' will be attracted to ieces of the magnet so longas any in the winding of the magnet.

one of the twopolecurrentis tral position. attracted toa predeterminedpole of the mag When the current is cut off and the pole-pieces become neutral, the armature C will assume a neu Whenever the armature C is net, it engages a. contact-po nt 1, thus com- I ism will act circuit through an electromagpleting a local controlling device of an operating netic ment of the signal'device as will indicate danger. The local circuitand the electromagnetic-controlling device are so well known in the art that I will not describe them in detail;

The railway-signal D, as UsuaL-comprises a signal device d, here shown as being of the semaphoretype', the blade d being employed to give indications during the hght of the day, and the'usual lens carried. in the specat the same time as the tacle-in combination'with a lamp is employed to give indications at night. The mechanism or apparatus for moving the signal device may be any of the well-known types.

The operation of the system just described will be readily understood. So long as the usual-current from the battery flows uninterruptedly through the relay magnet the polarized armature will be attracted to a predetermined pole-piece to hold the circuit of the railway-signal closed, thereby causing it to indicate safety. Should, however, the current through the relay be interrupted, as by being short-circuited througha pair'of wheels and axle occupying the block, the armature C will move away from the contact 1 and openthe circuit of device of the operating mechanism, causing or permitting the signal device to give a danger indication. term the normal operation of .the translating device responding to the usual current in the track-circuit. Should an extraneous alternating curren'tflow through the magnet direct current from the battery, the position the translating device will'not be effected thereby Should an alternating current flow through the magnet when the battery is shortcircuited, it would have no effect to shift the armature and close contact 1, because the pole-pieces would become alternately positive and negative at a rate which is too rapid for the polarized armature, due to its inertia, to respond. 'It will be seen, therefore, that my system is particularly adapted for use on electric railways where alternating current is used as a motive power for the cars and the return for the motive power alternating current is through one of the track-rails.

What I claim as my invention isl. The combination with a railway em- (15 ploying alternating current as a motive to move or permits such a movethe electromagnetic The foregoing is what I of the armature of.

power and one of the rails of the track as a return for the alternating current, of an alterhatin -current supply for the railway, and a signal ing system comprising a circuit which includes the return-rail and an insulated section of the other track-rail, a direct-current supply for such circuit, and a translating device also in said circuit and ailected by the direct current therein to control a signal device which gives service indications of the railway or section of railway.

2. The combination with a railway employing alternating current as a motive power and one of the rails of the track as a return for the alternating current, of an alternatingecurrent supply signaling system comprising a circuit winch includes the return track-rail and an insulated part of the other track-rail, a direct-current supply for said circuit, and a translating device having a movable part to control a circuit which also includes an operating mechanism of a railway-signal, said translating device being afiected by the absence or presence of the .direct current in its circuit in operating the movable part to control the signal circuit.

3. The combination with a railway employing alternating current as a motive power and one of the rails of the track as a return for the alternatin current, of an alterfor the railway, and a nating-currcnt supply or the railway, and a signaling system comprising a circuit which includes the return track-rail and an insulated part of the other track-rail, a directcurrent supply for said circuit, a translating device included in said circuit as to have the direct current give it a fixed polarity, and a polarized armature which is under the infiu ence of the polarity of the translating device, and an operating mechanism of a railway-Sig nal controlled by said polarized armature.

4. In a signaling system for use on electric railways employing alternating current as a motive power, and a rail for the return thereof, the combination'of a series of block-sections, a closed track-circuit for each blocksection which includes a portion of both trackrails, a source of direct current for each trackcircuit, a translating device included in each track-circuit, and means in each track-cir cuit for preventing alternating current effect-- ively operating the translating device.

In a signaling s stem for use on electric railways employing alternating current as a motive power, and a track-rail for the return, the combination of a series of block-sections,

, a track-circuit for each block-section, a source device included in each 1 rent,- a common return for both currents, mo

tor-vehicles actuated by the alternatin current, signaling devices actuated by the irect current, and means controlled by the move I ment of the motor-vehicle for controlling the movement of the signaling devices.

7. A signaling system comprising a source of alternating current, a-source of direct cur j rent; a common return. for both currents,

motor-vehicles actuated from the source of alternating current; signaling devices actuated from the source of direct current, and

,means carried by the oving vehicles and adapted to shunt the direct current around signaling devices 8. Inian-electridrailway system, a source of alternating power-current, a power-circuit, slgnalin circuits formed by the track' and electrical y separated from each otherya direct current supply for each of the signaling-circuits, ad signaling devices controlled -from the signaling-circuits. V

9. In an electric-railway system,- a source of alternating power-current, a power-circuit in which the track of the railway forms a part, signaling-circuits formed in part by the track; a source of direct current for each Signaling-circuit, and a relay also in each signa ing-clrcuitresp'onsive to the direct current of its signaling-circuit to control a signal device and not responsive to the flow of alternating currents to control the signal device.

In testimony whereof I have signed myname to this specification in the presence of 

